As I write this, I have a pile of “Rockets” candy on my
desk. Well, maybe pile is a bit
much. I’ve already eaten some, so
it’s no longer a pile. More like a
scattering, a scattering of empty calories, just sitting there, tempting me.
A day or so ago I saw that author Nicholas Sparks has
officially separated from his wife of 25 years. I know that people separate from their spouse all the time,
but this is NICHOLAS SPARKS!
We’re talking about the guy that wrote “The Notebook” for
crying out loud. The first (to my
knowledge) movie to bring my wife to tears in the theatre. She was overcome with emotion by the
romance she saw on the big screen.
The fact that she was well into her first pregnancy and juggling a whole
bunch of extra hormones may have been a factor as well.
Nicholas Sparks has built an empire with his ability to
speak to (mostly women’s) hearts.
He’s sold almost 100 Million books. 9 of which have become movies (with 2 more on the way) grossing
a box office of almost $500 million.
His stories have the ability to make women swoon. Actually, to be honest, I’ve never seen
someone swoon, so I’m not sure if that’s accurate. Instead I’ll say that his stories have the ability to make
women look at their husbands and think, “Why can’t you be more like Noah? Why can’t you row me out into a lake
full of swans? Why can’t you grab
me in the middle of a rainstorm and kiss me passionately while we get soaking
wet?” At least I assume that’s
what they’re thinking, because it’s a little along the lines of what I think
when I watch a movie like “The Notebook”.
But for me, it’s more of a self-berating “Why didn’t I think of that?”
I’m down to 2 packages of “Rockets” now. I’m going to put them back in the jar
where they came from and drink some water instead. I’m not really hungry, I’m probably just thirsty, but my
brain thinks it wants something sweet.
The problem with “Rockets” is that, although they are sweet, they are
empty calories.
The Internet tells me that empty calories are the sugars and
fats (basically all the things that make life worth living) that add calories
to your body, but add no nutrition.
In other words, they FILL us, but they don’t FULFILL us.
I think Nicholas Sparks might just be empty calories for our
hearts. Books and movies like “The
Notebook” are the sweet treat that fill us up, but they don’t really fulfill
us. Not to say that watching “The
Notebook” or reading “Dear John” is really a bad thing, but like “Rockets” it
needs to be kept in moderation.
And, although I don’t take any pleasure in hearing about
Nicholas Sparks’s marital issues, it does release a little pressure in my mind.
Why didn’t I think of rowing my wife out into a lake full of
swans? Because that lake doesn’t exist. Not really. Only in the imagination of an author, and in the budget of a
Hollywood production company.
Why don’t I grab my wife and kiss her passionately in the
rain? Because the rain is actually
pretty cold. Your nose starts to
run if you’re out in it too long.
And I may not be the smoothest operator, but even I have enough game to
know that runny noses aren’t good for kissing. Also, there’s the lightning factor. Sounds dangerous to me.
And I’m guessing one of two things. Either Nicholas Sparks didn’t do any of
those things for his wife, or if he did, those things aren’t enough to sustain
your relationship. I imagine both
are true.
And the truth is, our marriages aren’t what really fulfill
us anyway. Not ultimately. Only a relationship with Jesus can
truly do that. At the end of our
lives, EVERYTHING ELSE turns out to be empty calories.
None of this is to say that I couldn’t take some cues from The
Notebook’s Noah and step up the romance level. There’s a time and place for empty calories. They are usually delicious, which is,
after all, why we eat them. We
just can’t live on them.
So, does anyone have a rowboat and about 50 swans I could
borrow?
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